


What I Didn't Know

by Lavender_Persimmon305



Category: Numb3rs, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Cello, F/M, Love, Romance, cinnamon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-05-26
Updated: 2012-05-26
Packaged: 2017-11-06 01:07:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/413031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lavender_Persimmon305/pseuds/Lavender_Persimmon305
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Agent Coulson, alive and well. With a partner who plays cello... (This is still a WIP. I may be adding this to a larger story at some point...You've been warned: this may not remain as you see it...)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Didn't See You

_Introduction_

_Set around three months before "Iron Man 2"_

She liked cinnamon in her coffee.

It didn’t matter if it had milk or cream or even soymilk. She had to have cinnamon.

So, he always made sure there was a full jar next to the coffeepot in the galley just off of the bridge.

He didn’t tell her the colour of the spice reminded him of her hair, and he liked to see what she did with it every day.

Did she want to just leave it down, or maybe put it up in some military-grade bun, a few random curls escaping nonetheless to tease the soft nape of her neck? Or some elaborate braid the morning after the crew's monthly 'Star Wars' marathon?

She was efficient, excellent at her work, her reports always turned in in a timely manner, and she was always respectful of her superiors. She was an excellent partner for him, and he was grateful to know she had his back on their missions.

But, he knew she had a great sense of humour, and a laugh that was infectious. 

And he knew she only saw him as a co-worker, as the guy that did whatever Fury needed, as the one who stood beside her on the platform whenever they actually were on the Helicarrier, the guy that liked mini donuts when they were travelling.

So, Coulson was dumbfounded when he walked into his office one morning and found a Captain America trading card carefully encased in a plastic sleeve on his desk, a simple Post-It stuck to the blotter beside it.

“’Thanks for the cinnamon. It’s almost as sweet as you.

\---Parker’”

Coulson grinned, looking out of his window to find her smiling up at him over the rim of her coffee cup before she turned back to look over the shoulder of the navigator she was working with, making sure SHIELD’s floating fortress continued on a safe course.


	2. Where I Want to  Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coulson needs a vacation after his 'death.' Tony's just the travel agent he needs.

_Chapter One_

_Set two weeks post-Avengers_

Tony Stark stared at the dead man sitting in front of him, Coulson leaning back on the couch, his left arm in a sling and his skin more pale than usual as he returned the assessment. Avengers Tower was still under construction, which included Stark's penthouse, but with the windows re-installed, it was at least livable.

“Agent,” Tony said, really wishing he had a tumbler of scotch in his hand.

“Mr. Stark,” Phil nodded, then tilted his head. 

Beside Coulson, Natasha Romanoff rolled her eyes. “Tony, we need your help,” she sighed, giving Stark the silent go-ahead to retrieve a beverage from the bar behind them.

“Do tell,” Tony replied, dropping an ice cube into his drink and walking back over to sit on the opposite end of the couch.

“Fury wants him to relax and recuperate,” Tasha said. “Since you seem to know a lot about both, Fury thinks you’re the man to help us.”

Tony grinned into his glass before he took a sip. “That may be true, but I’m still curious as to what Nicky wants me to do.”

“He wants you to put me up in one of your properties,” Coulson said, shifting slightly, and Natasha looked at him quickly as if to assure herself that he was okay.

Tony nodded, looking out over New York City through his floor-to-ceiling windows, the sunlight bouncing off of buildings. “I see. And is there a specific one our illustrious leader had in mind? Monaco? Dubai? Savannah?”

“He just said to pick one,” Natasha told him. “If it’s going to be a problem—“

Stark glared at her. “Nat, it’s Agent. It’s not a problem.” He looked at Phil, ignoring the small smile playing over the Russian-ex-pat’s lips as she relaxed into the sofa. “Where would you like to go? Do you want to visit that cellist in Portland?” He blinked as something flickered behind Coulson’s eyes that almost looked like embarrassment…

“Actually, she’s a little more local these days,” Phil said evasively, and even Natasha had to raise an eyebrow at the unsettled tone of his voice.

“Do tell!” Stark repeated, this time a little more blithely than the first as he settled into the cushions, crossing an ankle over his knee. His grin practically twinkled as he eyed the agent across from him.

Coulson cleared his throat and pursed his lips for a moment. “She actually works for SHIELD.”

Tony and Natasha’s eyebrows each nearly emigrated off of their foreheads at his admission, and Stark almost choked on his drink. “God, man, who is it? Is it Hill? She’s luscious. A bit frosty and DayRunner-esque, but still kinda tasty,” Tony mused, rubbing his chin. “Or is it one of the menfolk? That guy in charge of Black Squadron is easy on the eyes…” He gave Phil an assessing once-over. “No…I know who it is.” He grinned, slowly, like a cat eyeing its prey.

Coulson looked at him blandly, but the twitch in his jaw made Tony grin even more broadly.

“It’s Cinnamon Girl,” he drawled, and Tasha looked at him in confusion.

“Who?” she frowned, looking between the two men, and glaring once more at Stark as he burst into laughter at her expense.

“How can you not know? You’re a freaking superspy and you don’t know?” Tony chuckled, drinking the rest of his scotch. He giggled to himself a little more, enjoying the tinge of red touching Coulson’s ears. “It _is_ her! I knew it! Oh, Agent, well done, my man! Shit, I’ll let you stay at any of my places, especially if she’s invited! You’ve earned the vacation!”

Coulson exhaled through his nose, his eyes laser-sharp as he looked at Tony. “I still keep my Supernanny dvd’s in my trunk, Mr. Stark,” he said evenly, and Tony shut up.

Natasha blinked, impressed. “Okay, who is it? I’m sorry, Phil, I want to know.” She went to pat his shoulder, then thought better of it, biting her lip at what she’d almost done.

“Agent Parker MacNamara,” Tony smiled, leaning forward to tap a spot on the coffee table, a hologram of a redheaded SHIELD agent floating above them. “Assigned to be the counterpart to Agent Phillip J. Coulson, less than a month after Vanko destroyed my Expo, which is also incidentally around the time that you asked me to go and speak with General Ross, Agent,” he said, smiling at Coulson. “What were you really busy with that you couldn’t go and do that chore yourself?” He wiggled his eyebrows, Coulson pursing his lips again.

“I had to retrieve Agent MacNamara in Portland to begin her assignment with SHIELD: East Coast.”

“Ah-HA!” Tony shouted, pointing at him gleefully and Natasha rolled her eyes again. “It is Cinnamon Girl! Agent MacNamara The Hot!”

Coulson sighed again, his eyes flicking up to the glowing image of his partner, and Tony quieted to see the infinitesimal crook at the corner of his friend’s mouth.

“So, yeah, anyway,” he rumbled, clearing his throat. “She’s assigned to you after all that crap went down in New Mexico, you guys have been doing your agenty things on-and-off, although she’s usually based out of the New York office, especially the Helicarrier,” he said, zooming in on her dossier with a slight spread of his fingertips in the air. “She asked for time off to go back to Portland…” He trailed off, tilting his head, his eyes narrowing over his smile as he continued, “…right before The Avengers Initiative came completely on-line. Huh.” He trailed his tongue against the inside of his cheek, then grinned over at his co-worker and handler. “And then she reinstates herself the day after Thor takes Reindeer Games back to Daddy. That’s interesting…”

“What’re you getting at, Mr. Stark?” Coulson countered, not caring for the gleam in Tony’s eye at all. 

Stark held up his hands innocently, the tumbler in one chiming from the ice. “Nothing. Nope. Just think it’s interesting that your partner goes on a vacay, you get skewered, and then she jets back here only days after she leaves…H’m.” He nodded and set down his glass so he could fold his arms, his glance returning to Parker’s picture.

“So, explain this ‘Cinnamon Girl’ thing to me,” Natasha requested, crossing her legs and resting her arm on the back of the couch to brace her head on her hand.

Coulson looked to Tony. “You seem to have all the answers here. Want to field this one?”

Stark smirked. “Nah, I think I want to hear you tell it. It’s cute.”

Phil sighed and shifted to face Tasha more. “She likes cinnamon in her coffee. She doesn’t really care if there’s any kind of milk for it, but she has to have cinnamon. I try to make sure that the jar of it in the Bridge’s break room always has an acceptable amount.”

Romanoff’s smile warmed her eyes as she listened. “You re-stock the coffee bar just for her?”

“She gave me a Captain America trading card I didn’t have as a thank-you,” he replied, his head tilting to the side as he smiled back.

“And you crazy kids are picking out china patterns, when?” Tony piped up. “Seriously, Agent, Hottie MacTottie wants you bad, man.”

“Agent MacNamara is a consummate member of SHIELD, Mr. Stark. She has been a valuable asset to our organization, and has proven herself to be an excellent partner,” Coulson said firmly. “She came back to take over any work I have been unable to handle as I have been…incapacitated in a few areas.”

“And just when were The Avengers going to be told that rumours of your untimely death were greatly exaggerated?” Tony asked, his glare returning. “Fury’s got enough shit to answer for without adding faking your death to the list, Phil.”

Coulson nodded. “I agree. However, in this case, he was not lying to you or the team. I did, in fact, die. My lung was punctured, my heart suffered a small laceration as well. When the med-team got to me, I was seconds away from flatlining, which I did. However, they revived me and injected me with the nanite serum that you’ve been developing.”

Tony’s face went through several shades of red as he shot to his feet. “That stuff hasn’t even been cleared out of prototype phase!” he shouted, hands fisting. “Who the fuck gave Fury clearance—JARVIS!!!” he bellowed.

“Yes, sir?” the AI replied, its voice ever-smooth in its British inflection.

“How the hell did Fury get the serum?!” Tony had his cell phone out and was punching a call to the director himself, when Natasha interrupted. 

“Pepper,” she said quietly, and Tony killed his call.

“What?” he hissed, his teeth clenched as he rounded on her, stopping short of running into Coulson’s leg.

“Pepper has one percent controlling stock over yours with Stark Industries, therefore Fury called her and asked permission.”

Tony’s lips thinned and his nostrils flared as he sucked in a heated breath. He let it out, closing his eyes. “She made the right call,” he muttered, jaw rolling as he swallowed and looked down at Phil. “How do you feel?” he asked, flicking his hand out to call up an assessment screen that scanned the agent’s vital signs, finding everything working normally. He gaped as the x-ray showed a small group of nanites still working on repairing nerve damage to Coulson’s shoulder, though his lung and heart showed no signs of the trauma they had endured. “Amazing…” he murmured, looking from the scan to the patient.

“Thank you, Mr. Stark,” Coulson said quietly. “You saved my life.”

Tony smiled back. “I have to do something right occasionally.” He clapped his hands together, spinning to call up files on his property holdings, real-estate photos glowing down at them. “Pick your poison, Agent. Which one catches your fancy? Correction: which one would you like to woo the fair Agent MacNamara in?” He grinned lasciviously, winking, and Natasha covered her eyes with her hand, sighing.

“Los Angeles looks nice…” Coulson mused, admiring the penthouse that sat high above the city. “And no, there will not be any ‘wooing’, Mr. Stark. Agent MacNamara is my partner--”

“--in bed,” Tony finished with a grin. “Or she should be, I think. Don’t you think so, Nat? I think they’d look smashing together. Redheads are always a good choice no matter the occasion. I should know,” he smiled, folding his arms as a picture of Pepper came up, smiling at the hidden photographer with an easy grace. “Okay, it’s settled. I’ll make the arrangements and get you out there by tonight. Sound good?”

“I’m not going to find my partner sitting on your private jet when I come aboard am I, Stark?” Coulson said, lacing his fingers together.

“Do you want to find your partner waiting for you on my jet?” Tony countered, his mouth quirking to one side.

“I just want to have a quiet vacation and get back to work as soon as I can.”

Tony grinned. “That wasn’t a no!” He chuckled and got his phone out again, turning away to make calls while Coulson and Natasha shared a long-suffering sigh.


End file.
